Download Social Studies - Judaism Lesson

Bothwell Lesson #1 - Judaism
Lesson Title: Judaism
Grade level: 7th grade
Time: 75 minutes
Name: Mary-Lynn Piper
GLCE:
7 - W3.2.1 Identify and describe the beliefs of the five major world religions.
7 - W3.2.2 Locate the geographical center of major religions and map the spread
through the 3rd century C.E./A.D.
7 - W3.2.3 Identify and describe the ways that religions unified people's perceptions of
the world and contributed to cultural integration of large regions of Afro-Eurasia.
Objectives:
Students will be able to…
 identify the four different branches of Judaism and specify the similarities and
differences between: Orthodox, Reconstrustionist, Reform, and Conservative Judaism.
 Identify one way that Judaism has impacted/influenced Western Civilization.
 Identify the: main symbol, beginning location, structures, figures and holy
book/Scriptures of the Jewish faith.
Terms/Concepts:
Terms:
 Judaism
 Orthodox Judaism
 Reform Judaism
 Conservative Judaism
 Constructionist Judaism
 Star of David
 Hebrew Bible
 The Torah
 Rabbis
 Jews (Jewish People)
 Israel
 Jerusalem
 Synagogues
 Sabbath
Concepts:
 What is Judaism?
 What are the key teachings (beliefs) of those who practice Judaism?
 What are the different branches of Judaism?
 What impacts have Judaism had on Western Civilization?
Instructional Materials:
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Religion Passport Journals
Pencil
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠
(
) description cards
2
o If the total number of students is an odd number, be sure to round the number
of description cards up to the highest whole number.
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠
(
) identification cards
2
o If the total number of students is an odd number, be sure to round the number
of identification cards up to the highest whole number.
Labels for each station
o Station #1 – Judaism and Western Civilization
o Station #2 – What is Judaism?
o Station #3 –
o Station #4 – Branches of Judaism
Station #1 - Judaism and Western Civilization Worksheet
Station #1 - Judaism and Western Civilization Information Sheet
Station #2 – What is Judaism Information Sheet
Station #3 – Key Teaching of Judaism (Beliefs) Information Sheet
Station #3 – Key Teachings of Judaism Worksheet
Station #4 – Branches of Judaism Information Sheet
Station #4 – Branches of Judaism Venn Diagram
Procedure:
Anticipatory Set – 15 min
Guess Who!
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I will have one half of the class come up to the front to receive a “description card”
(a card that will contain a description of a famous/important person). After the
description cards have been distributed I will have the other half of the class come
up to the front to receive an identification card (this card will have a name of a
famous/important person). There will be one “Identification card” to correspond to
the each one of the description card distributed.
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After everyone has revived their card I will inform the students that they have 5
minutes to find their corresponding card.
After the corresponding cards (partners) have found each other they will need to go
around and learn about the other people that have found the corresponding card.
The challenge is to figure out what all of the people have in common. By visiting and
speaking with the other partners they can share knowledge of what they know
about the individuals described on their cards.
After approximately 8 minutes we will reconvene as a large group. I will have
students go around the circle first read off what their description was and then who
the description was describing. During this time students will be able to state their
prediction of what everyone one of the individuals being described has in common.
After everyone has presented we will try to come to a group consensus of what all of
the individuals from the identification cards have in common. During this time, if
needed, I will scaffold the conversation to help students make a realization.
The group will come to the consensus that all of the individuals listed are all openly
affiliated to the same religion – Judaism (all were either raised in a Jewish
household, have converted to Judaism, or have always practiced Judaism).
I will speak to the fact that each of the individuals from the identification cards come
from many different countries, look very different, participate in many different
activities (are famous/important for many different reasons) and are in general very
different people.
o I will have the students come to the realization that everybody is different
and no two people have to act or look the same to have the same beliefs and
practice the same religion. Most people would not be able to find anything in
common with Albert Einstein and Paula Abdul; yet, the Jewish religion is one
that connects these two very different individuals.
*(http://www.icsresources.org/content/curricula/JResourcePacket.pdf (Page 45 - 52)
Stations – 40 min
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I will break up the class into 4 different groups by counting them off by 4’s while we are
still in the circle form the anticipatory set activity. I will then allocate one group to each
one of the four stations I have already set up (Group #1 starts at Station #1, Group #2
starts at Station #2, Group #3 starts at Station #3, and Group #4 starts at Station #4).
Students will be given 9 minutes at each station as well as a one minute transition
period. They will be alerted by an alarm as to when the 9 minutes are over and when
the next set of 9 minutes begins.
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While at each station the students will read the information provided, they will use that
information to determine the following information of the Jewish religion:
 Symbol(s)
 Location/Region where Religion Began
 Religious Structures
 Major Religious Figures
 Holy Book(s)/Scriptures
 Beliefs
 Branches of Judaism
 Other information the find interesting pertaining to the Jewish Religion.
o They will record the information above in their Religion Passport Journals.
(The Religion Passport Journals will be used for students to the above
information for each of the six major world religions we will be studying
during the week. This will give the students a better visual to compare
and contrast the major world religions at the end of the unit.)
o In addition, each station will have a set of questions that will help scaffold the
group discuss pertaining to that specific aspect of the Judaism religion.
 Station #1 – Judaism and Western Civilization (Influences and Key Ideas)
 When students come to this station the will be taking a look at
how the Jewish faith has influenced Western Civilization. In
addition they will be reading five prompts that summarize the six
elements that are taught through the Jewish faith.
 Students will then have a discussion answering the following
question and the writing their response on the worksheet
provided at the station:
o “In the space provided please write a short paragraph
explaining which of the six elements listed above you think
is most important for a community to have and why.”
(http://www.icsresources.org/content/curricula/JReso
urcePacket.pdf) (Page 65-72)
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Station #2 – What is Judaism?
 This station will possess a document that outlines much of the
needed information to fill in to the Religion Passport Journal.
Since this station possess so much information students will be
recommended to break up the information that they are looking
for.
o The group will split up the different sections of the
document and then practice jigsaw teaching. Meaning that
they will become experts of their sections and the present
the information they learned to the reason of the group
members.
o During the presentations the students will be filling in the
necessary information into their Religion Passport Journals
(reference bullet 3 under stations to see the different
information present in the Religion Passport Journal that
the students will be addressing).
(http://www.icsresources.org/content/curricula/JR
esourcePacket.pdf ) (Page 97-102)
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Station #3 – Key Teachings of Judaism (Beliefs)
 In this station the students will be taking a look of the six major
beliefs held by the Jewish people. As a group they will be
discussing the importance that these belief have in the lives of
those how practice Judaism.
 Students will the work on the worksheet provided which asks
students to evaluate which of these six beliefs they thing is most
important to incorporate to live a happy life and why. If they think
none of these beliefs then we simply ask that they explain their
reasoning. (This is done in order to show students that one must
not be a specific religion to have some of the same beliefs of the
people that practice a specific religion.
(http://www.icsresources.org/content/curricula/JResourcePacket.
pdf ) (Page 5-6)
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Station #4 – Branches of Judaism
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The purpose of this station is to understand that just because
someone is Jewish does not mean that the way they practice
Judaism the same way that their neighbors might.
Students will be taking a look at the four different main branches
of Judaism. Students will be reading and discussing the major
differences. They will help organize their ideas and create a visual
of the similarities and differences of the different branches by
filling in the Venn diagram provided at this station.
(http://www.icsresources.org/content/curricula/JResourcePacket.
pdf ) (Page 35)
Closing Discussion – 20 min
Discussion:
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Once the stations activity has been completed the students we will have a group
discussion on what we learned. To begin I will ask the students to please close their eyes
and think about what they learned today. What were two things that you learned that
fascinated you? I will then have the students open their eyes and share with their
neighbor.
During this time I will be traveling around the class to listen to what the students found
most interesting about Judaism.
Once it seems as though everyone has been able to share with their neighbor, I will have
students volunteer to share their thoughts.
Students will be able to ask any questions they may have or are wondering about in
response to the lesson on Judaism.
Depending on how much time we have left I will give students the opportunity to
complete the assignments the received during the stations (which is do the fallowing
day) and/or the Religion Passport Journals (due at the end of the week – Thursday) with
the remaining time.
Adaptation:
Some students may not find that 9 minutes to be enough time to read all of the
information presented at each station. Because of this I will have additional copies of
the readings read for the students to take with them if they chose to or did not get a
chance to finish.
“So what?”
During the anticipatory set, the students were able to see there are some very famous
and important figures in our world that practice the Jewish faith. They are able to
connect everyone form Albert Einstein, Shel Silverstein, and even Adam Sandler to
Judaism. Through this activity, students are not only able to determine that there are
still a lot of people today that practice Judaism, but there are a lot of different types of
people that practice it all over the world. For all we know there are probably students in
our school, or people that live down the street from us that also practice the Jewish
faith. One of the most fascinating aspects of religion is the fact that we can have two
very different people, which would normally have nothing in common (Paula Abdul and
Albert Einstein was the example previously mentioned); but these two people will
actually come together because of their religious beliefs. In addition, by being able to
better study the faiths of others, it better helps students understand their own
neighbors and friends better (for example, why they might not celebrate the some of
the same holidays that those of another faith might celebrate – such as Christmas or
Easter.)
Assessment:
Formative:
During the centers I will be walking around and asking individual students questions
about the readings present at each station. I will also be able to listen into the
discussion that takes place at each one of the stations. Finally, after the stations have
been completed I will be able to listen in during the think/pair/share time discussion to
better see the type of information that each student took away from the stations.
Summative:
During the last 10 minutes of class I will have the students work on the worksheet that
was provided at station #1 (Judaism and Western Civilization) which is featured at the
main Higher Order Thinking Skills Question in their World Religions Passport Journals.
Students will take home their workbook to complete and then will turn in the week’s
worth of assignment at the end of the day on Thursday. This assignment will be due the
following day in the morning.
Anticipatory Set – Description Cards w/Labels
Anticipatory Set – Description Cards w/Labels
Anticipatory Set – Description Cards w/Labels
Anticipatory Set – Description Cards w/Labels
Anticipatory Set – Description Cards w/Labels
*I will not need to use all of these cards.
Station #1 – Judaism and Western Civilization
Judaism has had a profound influence on Western civilization. Much of this influence
comes from Jewish ideas and values that were transmitted to Christianity, which
developed from Jewish roots. Jesus of Nazareth, his disciples, and the first leaders of
the Christian Church were all Jewish. The Jewish Bible was incorporated into the
Christian Bible as the Old Testament. Not surprisingly, many principles and teachings
that are important in Judaism are also important in Christianity. These common ideas
are known as the Judeo-Christian tradition. As Christianity spread, it popularized these
important ideas. As a result, moral and ethical ideas developed by Judaism helped
shape Western ideas about law, morality, and social justice.
Judaism influenced other areas of Western civilization including religious belief,
literature, and weekly schedules. For example, monotheism, the belief that there is only
one God, spread from Judaism to the Western world. Western literature includes and
often alludes to the Hebrew Bible and the Ten Commandments, sacred texts that
originated in Judaism. Even the modern weekend has Jewish roots in the idea of a
weekly day of rest.
The oldest teachings in Judaism are recorded in the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. The
books of the Hebrew Bible were written at various times; the most recent predate the
2nd century B.C.E. The Talmud reached its final form c. 500 C.E., but its origins are
much earlier. After the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 C.E., Jewish scholars
began to record ancient teachings and laws so they would not be lost. These ancient
teachings are the core of the Talmud.
These texts reveal the Jewish roots of several key ideas in Western Civilization. Please
read the following five prompts. After reading each prompt, answer the question at the
bottom of the page.
Prompts:
1) Individual Worth: One of the defining characteristics of Western civilization is
recognition of the importance of each individual. Every person is believed to have worth
and to deserve a life of dignity. In Jewish literature, this idea is first expressed in the first
chapter of the first book of the Hebrew Bible, which says that people are created in the
image of God. Because of this, every person is valuable. This idea was not common in
the ancient world, where an individual’s social status often determined one’s importance
and value. Identify the quotes that show this Jewish value by writing Individual Worth in
the space provided.
2) Rule of Law: The importance of every individual is also a factor in Western
civilization’s commitment to the rule of law, the principle that the law applies to everyone
no matter how powerful or where they are from. Identify the quotes that show this value
in Jewish texts by writing Rule of Law in the space provided. Please note that the next
prompt addresses the idea of a fair trial; avoid labeling quotes about a fair trial as Rule
of Law.
3) Fair Trial: The idea that trials must be fair is closely connected to belief in the rule of
law. The Hebrew Bible and Talmud include numerous statements that emphasize the
importance of fair trials and a wide variety of provisions to help ensure that trials are fair.
Many of these provisions became key legal principles in the Western world. Jewish
roots of legal principles have even been referenced by the U.S. Supreme Court. Identify
the quotes that reflect the importance of fair trials in Judaism by writing Fair Trial in the
space provided.
4) Charity: Giving charity is an important value in Western civilization that was not
emphasized in most ancient cultures. Jewish texts record that ancient Jewish leaders
were horrified by Roman indifference to the poor. In Judaism, on the other hand,
supporting the needy is obligatory. Identify the quotes that reflect the importance of
giving charity in Judaism by writing Charity in the space provided.
5) Healing the World: The final principle of Western civilization discussed in this
handout is the idea that society can improve and individuals have an obligation to strive
to make the world a better place. In Judaism, this idea is called Tikkun Olam, or Healing
the World. Identify the quotes that reflect the importance of this idea in Judaism by
writing Healing the World in the space provided.
Name: _______________________________ Date:__________________
Judaism and Western Civilization
Question:
In the introduction and prompts, you read about several significant elements of Western
Civilization that have roots in ancient Judaism. In addition to common religious elements
such as monotheism and the importance of The Hebrew Bible and the Ten
Commandments, these elements include:
1) The idea of a day of rest / weekend
2) The idea that every individual is important
3) The idea of the rule of law
4) The idea that fair trials are crucial
5) The idea that people should help the less fortunate
6) The idea that people have a responsibility to make the world a better
place
In the space provided please write a short paragraph explaining which of the six elements listed
above you think is most important for a community to have and why.
Question Answer:
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Station #2 – What is Judaism?
Station #2 – What is Judaism?
Station #2 – What is Judaism?
Station #3 – Key Teachings of Judaism (Beliefs)
Station #3 – Key Teachings of Judaism (Beliefs)
Name: _______________________________ Date:__________________
Key Teachings of Judaism
Question:
In the passage you got to read about the six key teachings of the Jewish faith. These
are essentially the most important and influential ideas in Judaism.
1) There is only one God.
2) Treat others well.
3) Honor of Sabbath
4) Pray
5) Study
6) The land of Israel’s is Judaism most important spiritual center.
In the space provided please explain which of the six ideas in Judaism listed above, in your
opinion, is the most important to have to live a happy life and why? If none, please explain your
reasoning.
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Station #4 – Branches of Judaism
Station #4 – Branches of Judaism